Applied Vedic Science – Advanced (Jyotisha)

Applied Vedic Science Advanced Jyotish

Course Content:

Applied vedic science advanced jyotish course provides an introduction to basic mathematical operations, the Indian way, through the text named Līlāvatī.

In this course students will be able to:

  1. Understand the methodology and approach of theorizing and calculating in the Indic system of mathematics.

Area of Study: Sanskrit Studies

Required / Elective: Elective

Prerequisites: 

1) The medium of Instruction is Sanskrit

2) Only currently enrolled Sanskrit master’s certificate students can register for these courses. (MIT-SVS)

3) Admission into Master Program in Sanskrit through MIT-SVS

4) Completed previous MA Sanskrit Course – Basic (Jyotisha)

Quarter Offered:  Winter Quarter

Applied Vedic Science – Basic (Ayurveda)

Applied Vedic Science – Basic Ayurveda

Course Content:

This course provides a survey of the science and practice of Ayurveda, through an overview of the key texts and contributions in the discipline. The concept of wellbeing, and not merely medication, that is central to Ayurveda is elucidated in the course.

In this course students will be able to:

  1. Understand the major contributors and their writings and commentaries that built up the applied science and knowledge system of Ayurveda.
  2. Assimilate the role and relevance of Ayurveda as a science of wellbeing.
  3. Recognize the different schools of Ayurveda based on their theories.

Area of Study: Sanskrit Studies

Required / Elective: Elective

Prerequisites:  Completion of 12 Credit-Hours of Course work in the MA in Sanskrit / Masters Certificate in Sanskrit

Faculty / Instructor: Dr. Gokula Krishna

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Quarter Offered: Fall Quarter

HUA

Introduction to Bhagavadgita

Introduction to Bhagavadgita

Learning Outcome:-

  1. Gain a comprehensive and consistent overview of the Bhagavad Gita as both a moksha-shastra and a yoga-sastra.
  2. Understand the scope and relevance of the pursuits of knowledge and action in the Bhagavadgita.
  3. Be able to resolve paradoxes and seemingly competing viewpoints in the verses.
  4. Gain clarity on the meaning of moksa, karmayoga, bhakti, and meditation, in the Gita.
  5. Discern some of the paradigms that underlie various interpretations of the Gita.

The non-dual vision presented in the Gita has its origin in the Upanishads, where it is revealed through a teacher-student dialogue. Consistent with this, the teachings of the Bhagavad Gita are delivered through a dialogue between Lord Krishna and Arjuna. Unlike the Upanisads, the Gita discusses at length the participants in this dialogue.

The Gita also goes much further than the Upanisads in expanding the discussion of the philosophical teachings, approaching them from a variety of perspectives, sometimes precipitated by a question from Arjuna. Its uniqueness, however, lies in its elaboration of the necessary conditions for understanding its core teaching, and the means, including Ashtanga Yoga, for creating those conditions.

Our inquiry into the vision of the Bhagavad Gita presented in this course is based on the commentary of Sankara, the principal exponent of non-duality, advaita. Sankara’s is the earliest extant commentary on the Bhagavad Gita, and arguably the most consistent, as will be demonstrated in the course introduction to Bhagavadgita. of our study through an examination of paradoxical verses. As we proceed, we will also gain a clear understanding of the meaning of moksha, karma yoga, bhakti, and meditation, as presented in the Gita. And throughout the course, we will see, over the shoulders of Arjuna, the relevance of the teachings of the Gita to our lives today.

Required/Elective: Required

Prerequisites: Admission to the program of study/Must have completed Orientation to Hindu Studies or Concurrently enrolled in OTHS.

Faculty/Instructor: Swamini Agamananda Saraswati

Quarter Offered: Fall 2021

Area of Study:- Hindu Studies Foundation 

Start Date:- October 9, 2021

End Date:-  December 19, 2021

Day:- Saturday & Sunday

Time:- 03:00 pm EST – 04:30 pm EST

Mimamsa Basic

Mimamsa Basic

Course Content:

This course involves discussion of the tradition of contributions in the lineage of Purva-mimamsa and provides the background of the hermeneutic nature of this knowledge system. The primer of Purva-mimamsa named Arthasangraha is the text of study used to develop an understanding of the foundations of the Purva-mimamsa school of thought.

In this course students will be able to:

  1. Observe the evolving nature of Vedic knowledge systems through the range and scope for valid interpretation allowed and valued within the Vedic traditions
  2. Appreciate the intricate levels to which inquiry is carried out in the Vedic knowledge systems to arrive at conclusions that can stand up to logic and reason
  3. Apply and use the hermeneutic methods employed in Purva-mimamsa in other knowledge systems and domains

Area of Study: Sanskrit Studies

Required / Elective: Required

Prerequisites:  Admission into the Masters Certificate or MA in Sanskrit Program

Faculty / Instructor: Dr. Sowjanya Kumar

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Quarter Offered: Fall Quarter

Orientation to Hindu Studies

Course Content:

Orientation to Hindu Studies course will offer a preliminary reflection on the central themes and ideas of Hinduism leading to an understanding of the common foundations of the great variety of traditions and practices within the umbrella of Sanatana Dharma or Hinduism. It will survey the central ideas of Hinduism – covering an Ontology of key Sanskrit terms and the principal ideas that are central to the cosmology, practice, and expressions of Sanatana Dharma. It will include reflections and perspectives on these core concepts, using selected readings from source texts such as the Vedas, Upanishads, Itihaasa, Bhagavad-Gita and Puranas. But it is not a Hinduism 101 course!
The course will also review the complex challenges that arise at the confluence of Hindu and western thought. The Hindu worldview based on Dharma with its emphasis on duties and responsibilities and sustainability of life will be contrasted with contemporary ideologies and their focus on rights and privileges, competition, exploiter-exploited binary, and survival of the fittest. The distinction between a discourse of knowledge and a discourse of power will be drawn out, as two alternate paradigms. Through this, the course will develop an overview and insight into the design of the curriculum offered by the Hindu University of America i.e., the context, and the paradigm that informs that design. It will examine the impact of colonial
discourse on postcolonial Hindu experience and leave students with the pressing urgency of intellectual decolonization. And as it distinguishes between colonial perspectives that constitute the received knowledge on Hinduism, from the lived reality of Hindus, it will present the significance and importance of Hindu studies today, in a deeply moving, inspiring and transformative way.

Course Learning Objectives:
In this course students will be able to:
a) Explore alternate paradigms, various options and trajectories available within the Hindu Studies Program
b) Distinguish the central ideas and concepts that constitute the Foundations of Hindu Dharma
c) Evaluate different elective areas of study and Courses offered: Sanskrit Studies, Texts and Traditions, Yoga Studies, History and Method, Post-Colonial Hindu studies and Conflict and Peace studies.
d) Distinguish between pathways towards a deep study of Hindu thought, or towards deep engagement with western thought from a Hindu perspective
e) Discover and Create pathways for engagement with the Hindu Studies curricula

Class Structure:
There will be a minimum of 1.5 contact hours with one or more faculty every week. The class is structured in a way that promotes discussion and debate based on self-study and reflection each week. While the content being discussed in each class will be concluded within 90 minutes, the discussion time will be free format, and can continue for an additional 30 minutes. During the course, students will be required to submit one short essay. They need not be academic quality papers – but should be based on students' self-reflection on what they have learnt and assimilated so far, and what has touched and inspired them deeply.

Area of Study: Hindu Studies Foundation

Program: Certificate Program in Hindu Studies (CPHS), Community Education Program (C.E.P), Doctor of Philosophy in Hindu Studies, Master of Arts in Hindu Studies (M.A.H.S)

Required/ Elective: This course is a prerequisite for admission into Masters’ and Doctoral program in Hindu Studies. It is also a required Core course for the Certificate Program in Hindu Studies.

Prerequisites: None.

Faculty: Mr. Kalyan Viswanathan(along with others)

Time: 09:00 pm EST – 10:30 pm EST

Start Date: January 13, 2023

End Date: March 24, 2023

Day: Friday

Quarter Offered: Winter 2023

Race and Hindu Reform

Race and Hindu Reform Course Content:

Our aim is to trace the encounter between Hinduism and the Western historicist episteme, how Hindu thinkers responded to the incursion of this episteme, and how their responses shaped contemporary Hinduism. We shall particularly focus on the role of an English-speaking elite in this process, especially those active in the major reform movements, Brahmo Samaj and Arya Samaj. Throughout, we shall contrast traditional modes of self-relation, guided by ethical reflection and individual self-discipline (askesis), with modern views of Hinduism, including its cultural, nationalistic, and assimilated expressions. For critical perspectives, we shall look at the work of Weber, Arendt, Fanon, and others.

Course Objectives

In this course students will be able to:
1. Extend and apply their understanding of the concept of race.2. Understand how colonization impacted Hindu society.
3. Reexamine the role of social reformers and modernizers in shaping modern India.

Class Structure

There will be a minimum of 3 contact hours with the faculty every week.

Areas of Study: History & Methods

Required/ Elective: Elective

Prerequisites: Must have enrolled in Orientation to Hindu Studies or Completed Orientation to Hindu Studies

This course is the second part of a two-part course sequence that begins with HAM6403-Race and Modern Hinduism. However, with the faculty’s permission, students may take these courses in either sequence i.e. begin with Race and Hindu Reform and then take Race and Modern Hinduism.

Instructor: Dr. Joydeep Bagchee  

Day: Sunday

Start Date:-18th July 2021

End Date:- 26th September 2021

Time:- 10:00 am EST 01:00 pm EST

Quarter: Summer 2021